Bradley Cooper On That Time He Was Held Up At Knifepoint

Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Actor Bradley Cooper has had a long and successful career, recently extending his talents to the world of directing with the acclaimed musical drama A Star Is Born. His character Jackson Maine faced a grisly fate in the movie’s third act, and it turns out that Cooper has had some scary encounters in real life. Because he just revealed the time he was held up at knifepoint… and it wasn’t too long ago.

Bradley Cooper’s story about being held at knifepoint comes from his recent appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. The two are close friends, but not even the host of the beloved podcast had heard this story before. While waiting for the subway Cooper was held up at knifepoint but was originally confused since he had noise cancelling headphones in. As he shared,

I used to walk around New York City all the time with [headphones] on… this was pre-pandemic. I was on the subway at 11:45 to pick Lea up downtown at Russian school and I got held up at knifepoint. It was pretty insane. But I realized I had gotten way, way too comfortable in the city. My guard was down.

That’s certainly harrowing. It looks like Bradley Cooper learned a hard lesson: not to let his guard down in the city. Luckily he was able to run away from the person who held him up, and eventually continue his day. Does anyone else have chills?

Bradley Cooper’s appearance on Armchair Expert touched on a variety of subjects, although his tale of being held up definitely shocked the hosts and listeners alike. While he was there to promote his new movie Nightmare Alley, it turns out that he’s had some scares himself. Smart money says he won’t be zoning out in New York City again anytime soon.

Hardcore fans of the Guardians of the Galaxy icon might be surprised by this story, namely because Bradley Cooper has already had such a history with New York. After all, he got his Master’s Degree from attending the Actor’s Studio. Maybe it’s this familiarity that ultimately allowed him to be caught off guard in a subway station.

As previously mentioned, Bradley Cooper ultimately got away safely after this harrowing experience, and found help nearby. Those who are intimate with his filmography might be having flashbacks of 2008’s The Midnight Meat Train, which sees Cooper face off against a mysterious subway killer. Thank goodness there was a far happier ending in the real world.

As previously mentioned, Bradley Cooper is currently hyping up the release of the new psychological thriller Nightmare Alley, which he stars in opposite Cate Blanchette, Toni Collette, and Willem Dafoe. Cooper is also a producer on the project. Although fans can’t wait to see him return as Rocket in the Guardians Holiday Special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Nightmare Alley hits theaters December 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.